Kónya Péter (szerk.): A Bakony-Balaton-felvidék vulkáni terület ásványai - TQS Monographs 1. (Miskolc - Budapest, 2015)
Kónya P.: A Bakony-Balaton felvidék vulkáni terület bazaltbányászatának története
Kónya P. (szerk.) (2015): A Bakony-Balaton-felvidék vulkáni terület ásványai. TQS Monographs 1. Miskolc-Budapest: Herman Ottó Múzeum és Magyar Földtani és Geofizikai Intézet, pp. 13-26. A Bakony-Balaton-felvidék vulkáni terület bazaltbányászatának története History of basalt quarrying in the Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field, Hungary KÓNYA PÉTER Magyar Földtani és Geofizikai Intézet, 1143 Budapest, Stefánia út 14. e-mail: konya.peter@mfgi.hu Abstract The Bakony-Balaton Highland Volcanic Field (BBHVF) is one of the most beautiful landscapes in Hungary. It is no accident that the beauty and unique natural value of this area appealed to many foreigner and Hungarian researchers from the beginning of the 19th century. The Volcanic Field is primarily known for erosion remnants. Unfortunately quarrying operated on the most of remnants in the 20th century. This was the most conspicuous at Badacsony, Gulács, Hegyes-tű and Hajagos hills. Basalt quarrying was tapered after 1990. At present some basalt quarries produce far away from the shore of Lake Balaton. According to the archaeological percepts, the BBHVF has been inhabited since the Neolithic Age. Celtic and Illyrian tribes made the first fortress (e.g. Badacsony, Gulács and Csobánc hills) in the II-I. millennia BC. At the end of the 1st century BC Romanics occupied Pannonia. They built a big strategic road by way of Keszthely-Tapolca-Veszprém from basalt of Haláp Hill. Hungarian tribes settled down in Pannonian Basin in the 10th century. The first stone (basalt) castles were built after 1241 AD, e.g. Csobánc (1255) and Tátika (1246-57). Industrial basalt quarrying began at the end of the 19th century at the BBHVF. The first quarry was opened at the Sarvaly Hill in 1896. At the turn of the 20th century worked nine basalt quarries (Bazsi, Prága — now Sümegprága, Csehi — now Sümegcsehi, Vindornyaszőlős, Vindornyalak, Nagy-Görbő, Zalaszántó, Gulács Hill and Tóti Hill) and one basalt tuff quarry (Kapolcs). At the beginning of the 20th century several basalt quarries were opened (Badacsonytomaj 1905, Badacsonytördemic 1909, Haláp Hill 1909 and Szent György Hill 1911). Dressed stone for road-building has already been produced about 30 0001 and for railway building about 150 0001 on Badacsony Hill. At the time of World War I the building and orderly servicing of roads let up, so the production of quarries significantly decreased. However, recovery in quarrying after 1918 restarted, causes of which are the following: 1) reconstruction of roads, 2) road-building program because of growing number of cars, and 3) according to the peace-treaty Hungary lost great territories and important quarries in 1920. Therefore, the production became more intensive in the active quarries and new quarries (e.g. Haláp Hill, Kab Hill West, Hajagos Hill and Gulács Hill West) were opened between World War I and II. Under the economic world crisis the need of stone decreased and this influenced the operation of mines. For example all workers (400) were discharged in the Badacsony basalt quarry. The mining boomed again after the crisis. Badacsony was the most productive basalt quarry in Hungary in the 1930s. The production of basalt was started some new mines: Szőlő Hill (Csékút), Hegyes-tű Hill (Zánka) and Halom Hill (Mencshely). At the time of World War II most of the basalt quarries were damaged badly. War damages on the other hand increased the need of stone, so the production reached enormous amounts. After 1945 a major reconstruction and enlargement started and machinery was continued. The mines were nationalized in 1948. Basalt quarrying by simple tools ceased gradually. This was the time when separators, crushers, drags, drills and dumper trucks appeared first. During intensive mining scoriaceous basalt appeared at the top of the walls of quarries at Badacsony Hill. Therefore, the basalt quarries at Badacsonytomaj and at Badacsonytördemic were closed in 1953 and in 1964, respectively. On the Gulács Hill three new levels (265, 287 and 308 m) of mining were opened. Because of nature conservation causes basalt quarries were closed at the end of 1960. The quarries were finally closed on Szent György Hill (1955) and Hegyes-tű Hill(1970). Then the main aim was to open new basalt mines far away from Lake Balaton. According to the detailed investigations the most suitable area was the Kovácsi Hill, where two basalt mines (Nagygörbő and Vindonyaszőlős) were expanded. Most quarries were operated periodically in the 1980s (e.g. Tóti Hill, Kopasz Hill, Prága Füll and Nagygörbő quarry). The two big basalt mines (Hajagos and Haláp hills) were finally closed at the end of the 1980s. The functions of mines closed in the Tapolca Basin were taken over by the Uzsa basalt quarry that has been operated since 1951. At present this is the largest and most modern basalt quarry in Hungary. Stone was mostly used for road construction in Pest and Buda and other settlements of Balaton Highland from the earliest times of quarrying. In addition the mines supplied stone for railways and for building of houses and churches. The basalt hills became part of the Balaton Highland National Park in 1997.
